


The Thunderbird Brothers

by Mars_McKie



Series: Thunderbirds Are Go - Ilvermorny AU [1]
Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Thunderbirds
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ilvermorny, Other characters as classmates and teachers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-01
Updated: 2017-09-01
Packaged: 2018-12-22 14:18:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11969157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mars_McKie/pseuds/Mars_McKie
Summary: A Thunderbirds Are Go AU set at Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.Alan is about to start his first year at Ilvermorny, which comes with all the usual nerves and butterflies, but will he be a Thunderbird like his brothers?





	The Thunderbird Brothers

**Author's Note:**

> When I found out there is a Thunderbird house at Ilvermorny, what else was going to happen?!
> 
> New information is still being released about magic in the USA, so in some places I have taken inspiration from Hogwarts. I might change certain bits as new information gets released, I might not!
> 
> I haven't really decided what year this is set (certainly some point after the events of Deathly Hallows), and I've also squeezed together the ages of the Tracy brothers so that they can all attend Ilvermorny at the same time.
> 
> Information on Ilvermorny can be found on Pottermore. Enjoy!

They had made their way east the previous day, flying -as was their twice-yearly tradition passed on from their No-Maj mother- on public transport and staying overnight in Boston. Many of their kind had also congregated to the city to the point that it had the atmosphere of a party, or a reunion. There were always whispers and pointed fingers that followed Jeff Tracy and his family around, but then again- he had been one of the first wizards to set foot on the moon.

The next afternoon, they journeyed from their hotel to the train station. They looked an odd bunch pushing their trolleys- 6 bulging trunks, John’s snowy owl Eos hooting happily from her cage as they passed commuters, and Virgil’s Cleansweep 12, Kayo's Nimbus Two Thousand and One, and Scott’s Firebolt (still the best in its class) slung over their shoulders. Alan’s elder siblings chatted casually as one by one they leaned against the barrier and fell through to the platform beyond. He clenched his hands into fists on his trolley and Jeff seemed to notice, as he slung an arm around his youngest’s shoulder and said, “Together.”

Alan nodded appreciatively and side by side they ran through the barrier and stepped out onto Platform 5 and 1/4. Many of the students and parents from the previous night were already gathered, and Jeff and Alan moved quickly out of the way as another group followed them through the barrier. Further down the platform, they found Virgil, Kayo and Gordon grouped together, Virgil trying to stop Gordon from falling down onto the tracks as he kept a lookout for the train that would take the six siblings to Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the most prestigious school of magic in the USA. Scott, John and Virgil would be starting their 7th, 6th and 5th years respectively, while Kayo would be in her 4th year, Gordon his 3rd (the brothers wondered if his grades would be good enough to progress, but despite his penchant for trouble his marks had exceeded all of their expectations), and Alan was about to start his first year.

“Now remember,” Jeff said seriously, pulling Gordon back by his collar. “I want no more letters from school telling me you’ve transfigured your classmate’s ears into cabbages, or been pulled out of the lake again, or set fire to the dungeons-”

“I’ve never set fire to the dungeons!” Gordon said indignantly.

“Not for the lack of trying,” said Scott as he returned with John, both of them having changed into their blue and cranberry school robes. A gleaming Prefect badge was pinned to John’s breast, and the Quodpot Captain and Head Boy badges sat on Scott’s breast.

“Here it comes!” Alan gave an excited shout as an enormous emerald green steam train puffed into view, covering the platform with smoke and noise as students already on the train from other stations down the East Coast called out to their friends.

“Hiram!” Virgil called out to one boy who was nervously waving out of a window. He gave their dad one last hug before running to join his friend in the compartment. The others heaved their luggage up onto the train and clamoured on, but Alan hung back.

“Something up, Allie?” his father asked. Alan swayed on the spot and Jeff took him to one side. “What’s wrong?”

Alan took a deep breath and voiced the fear he’d harboured ever since he'd got his acceptance letter to study at Ilvermorny. “What if I’m not a Thunderbird?”

There were four houses at Ilvermorny- Horned Serpent, Wampus, Pukwudgie, and Thunderbird. So far, all of his brothers had been sorted into Thunderbird, just as their father had been (though Kayo had broken the tradition by choosing Wampus- then again, she was adopted), and their father had boasted proudly how he had his four Thunderbird boys. Alan was so worried about breaking this tradition, and as well as that he would be walking in his brothers’ huge footsteps- Scott was Keeper and Captain of the house Quodpot team, as well as being Head Boy (for which his father had rewarded him with his new Firebolt), John was a Prefect and had the best marks in his year, Virgil (though being a fifth year, he hadn’t been bothered about being a Prefect) was a Beater on the Quodpot team, Kayo also played Quodpot for Wampus house against her brothers and would probably get in as much trouble as Gordon if she weren’t so knowledgeable about the secret passageways in the school, and while Gordon played as a reserve for Thunderbird, his casual manner and love of pranks had him in detention most weeks. By this degradation down his siblings, Alan figured he would get expelled by Christmas!

Jeff smiled and clapped his youngest on the shoulder. “Son, you will make me proud regardless of house you’re in. And your brothers will always watch out for you, no matter what.”

A guard behind them blew a whistle, making them both jump. Alan hugged his dad tightly and buried his face into his chest. “Love you, dad.”

“Love you too, son,” said Jeff, lifting his boy onto the train. Alan and his brothers all hung out of the window to wave goodbye as the train rolled out of the station. Jeff waved until they were nearly out of sight before apparating, and was gone.

Scott and John disappeared to up the front of the train where the Prefects had their own compartment, so Alan mostly tagged around with Gordon and his 3rd year friends. He also found Kayo reading in a quiet compartment and despite their early lunch they bought all manner of sweets, cauldron cakes and pumpkin pasties as the trolley went past; Gordon and his friends raced up and down the corridors, closely followed by John telling them off and threatening a letter to dad already; Virgil pushed Hiram towards another girl in his house (Horned Serpent), making him go red as he stammered “H-h-hi M-Moffy, h-how was your summer?”; Scott pinched a pumpkin pasty from Alan as he walked past while on duty. The journey was barely more than 2 hours long, but it was still long enough for doubt to seep back into Alan’s mind. Kayo could see his face falling as he became silent.

“What’s on your mind?” she sighed.

“What if I’m not chosen for any house?” said Alan. Gordon had joked about it weeks ago and he’d dismissed it, but now it preyed upon his mind. “What if I just stand there and none of the houses want me?”

Kayo put her book to one side and said, “Alan, you’re a bright kid, and any house would be lucky to have you. And besides, in nearly 400 years _no one_ has never not been picked for at least one house. You’re not that special!”

“Oi!” Alan cried, and Kayo smirked. She didn’t say anything, but when she’d said the exact same thing when Gordon had had the same worry two years ago, he was stubborn enough to try to prove her wrong, and had been highly disappointed when he was picked by Thunderbird.

The sun was getting low in the sky when they pulled on their robes and finally the train slowed down and came to a shuddering halt. They stepped out onto the platform and were separated by a teacher moving among them, pulling the first years to one side.

“See you later,” Kayo winked and disappeared into the crowd clamouring towards the carriages that would take them up the mountain slope to the school.

Once all of the older years had gone, the teacher said, “Welcome first years, I am Professor Meddings, if you could follow me, please!” and led them towards a set of horseless carriages. “No more than six to a carriage!”

Alan got into a carriage with three rather shy girls and two ratty looking boys. Once they were all in, they set off up the hill. Alan spun around in his seat but as they climbed the clouds hugged the mountain so tightly that he could barely see his hand in front of his face. He wondered if there was anything stopping the carriage from going over the side of the mountain? Finally, they were out of the cloud and Ilvermorny Castle rose in front of them- a mishmash of stonework built up over the centuries, standing strong and proud against the fiery evening sky. They climbed down from the carriages and walked up to the front doors -flanked by the founders, Isolt and James- which opened to them and they entered the circular entrance hall.

Opposite where they entered, the rest of the staff were stood between two enormous wooden carvings representing the houses Pukwudgie and Wampus, and turning around he saw the carvings that represented the houses Horned Serpent and Thunderbird. Looking up, he saw the rest of the school gathered onto the circular balcony overhead, watching the first years in silence. He spotted his brothers dotted amongst the Thunderbird house behind their carving, beaming and waving down at him. He gave a shy wave back before he was directed to stand around the walls. The entire hall was silent.

“When I call your name,” said Professor Meddings. “You will step forward and stand on the Gordian Knot.” He indicated a golden knot engraved onto the stone floor and every eye in the room was drawn to it. “You will then wait to be sorted into your house. Should more than one carving signify its wish to include you in its house, the choice will rest with you. I advise you to choose wisely as while you are here your house will be like your family.”

Alan’s knees were buckling so much he was having to lean on the wall for support. He wasn’t the only one among the first years who looked nervous.

“After you have been sorted, you will walk in front of the teachers and pass through this door, where you will receive your wand.” The teacher unrolled a length of parchment. “Brandon Berrenger.”

A cocky looking boy stepped forward and stood on the knot. The whole hall seemed to hold its breath, waiting for something to happen. About 5 seconds passed and then the Pukwudgie raised its arrow; the students behind it cheered and applauded for Brandon who left the hall.

“Ned Cook.”

Ned stepped forward and was soon snatched up by the Horned Serpent.

“Patience Crane.”

One of the shy girls that Alan had shared the carriage with stepped forward and became the first person to choose between two houses as both the Wampus roared and the jewel set on the Horned Serpent’s head glowed. Both houses applauded and when she chose Wampus that house cheered even louder.

The thong of first years was whittled down at what seemed to be a snail’s pace and Alan mentally dipped in and out of what was happening- the hall was nearly brought down by the applause when “Chip Morrison” was offered a place in three houses, before choosing Thunderbird, and he vaguely noticed the two ratty boys from earlier -Bill and Terry- both sorted into Pukwudgie.

“Alan Tracy.”

He gave a jolt at his name, wondering if perhaps he had heard wrong but everybody seemed to be looking at him. He walked forward, putting a large amount of focus into not tripping over his own feet, and came to a halt on the Gordian Knot. He could feel the eyes of all the students burning into him. Why did the hall seem to be ten times more silent than it had before? He stared at the floor, not daring to look.

His heart raced as he waited for something to happen, and five long seconds later (perhaps the longest five seconds of his life) he heard an enormous cheer from behind him, and turning around Alan saw that the Thunderbird was beating its wings. His heart skipped a beat and relief flooded through him, but then a second later there was more cheering as next to the Thunderbird the Pukwudgie had raised its arrow into the air. He could hardly believe his luck as a second later the Horned Serpent students were cheering as the crystal glowed brightly. A loud roar from the Wampus behind him nearly stopped his heart and the whole hall was on their feet, jumping and screaming.

He was a Full House.

Professor Meddings stepped forward and raised a hand, the hall dropping silent once more (though Gordon’s whoops were the last to fade). “The choice is now yours, Alan,” he said, beaming down at him. How could he possibly decide when his heart was pounding so fast? His mind raced with thoughts of what was expected of him, what might help him most in the future, or of the idea that he might regret down the line not choosing a different house, but none of that really mattered. In his soul, Alan knew what he wanted.

“I want to be a Thunderbird.”

The words gushed out of his mouth and he smiled at the thunderous yells from Thunderbird house, his brothers loudest of all and completely beside themselves. Still beaming, Alan walked down the row of teachers and recognised from his father’s photos his old schoolmate -and now Headmistress- Professor Casey. She gave a thinly concealed smile and nodded at him. He went through the door, the adrenaline racing through his veins and the entrance hall behind him was still in turmoil at their first Full House in nearly a decade.

The room was small and much darker after the entrance hall with its thousands of candles, the walls lined with rows upon rows of wands in boxes. A wizened witch was still seeing to Chip Morrison so Alan joined the queue and was joined soon after by Aiden Williams, another first year Thunderbird.

They chatted while they waited and soon it was his turn- after twirling a dozen wands, Alan was picked out by a holly wand, 10 ½ inches, supple, with a Jackalope antler core.

The first years mingled into their houses, chatting away and making new friends, until they all had their wands and Professor Meddings returned for them.

“The rest of the school are gathered in the Great Hall for the Homecoming Banquet,” he told them. “If you could follow me.”

They walked through another door into the Great Hall. Four long tables stood side by side, awash with students in their blue and cranberry robes, with the teachers’ table at the top facing their students. Banners hung over each of the four tables who were politely applauding the first years as they joined their houses.

When they were all sat, Professor Casey stood up to address them all. “Welcome- welcome to new students, and welcome back to old students. There will be a time tonight for dusting off the cobwebs spun during the summer, but that time is not now- tuck in!”

The doors of the hall were thrown open and a line of Pukwudgies trooped in, bearing gold platters of meats, silver trays of vegetables, and crystal pitchers of pumpkin juice. They grumbled in low voices as they went, setting their loads down on the tables before exiting again. The students dove in, but before Alan could start on a chicken leg his brothers hurried down the table to him.

“Nice one, Full House!” John said, hugging his little brother before Virgil pulled them both into a back-breaking hug.

“Trust you to get a Full House!” Gordon moaned, but joined his brothers in the smothering.

“We nearly had you in Wampus!” said Kayo, who had joined them from her table.

Scott ruffled Alan’s hair. “Welcome to the Thunderbirds, little bro.”

**Author's Note:**

> If this is something that people like, I have a few other Ilvermorny AU fics in mind (I know I'm supposed to be writing other stuff!)
> 
> *At Hogwarts, when the Sorting Hat takes a long time to decide on a house it's called a Hatstall. There currently isn't a word (that I know of) for when all four houses select a student so I just made a phrase up, in case anyone wonders where that came from!


End file.
